Most Expensive Mustang Ever? The $2.2 Million 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake

The one-of-a-kind 1967 Ford Shelby GT500 Super Snake was auctioned off over the weekend in Florida for a whopping $2.2 million.

The selling price of the Pony Car exceeded Mecum’s expectations, which estimated between $1 and $1.2 million. Thus, it has become the most expensive Mustang ever sold, beating its own record set in 2013, at $1.3 million, and making the first 2020 Shelby GT500 that was auctioned at $1.1 million look like a (relative) bargain.

Built by Carroll Shelby for Goodyear’s high-speed test that promoted a new line of Thunderbolt tires, this Shelby GT500 Super Snake uses the GT40’s 427 V8 engine. It was rebuilt with aluminum parts and tuned to produce 520 hp, allowing for a top speed of 170 mph (274 km/h). It also averaged 142 mph (229 km/h) during a 500-mile (805 km) run at the tire maker’s track in The Lone Star state.

Shelby wanted to transform the impressive prototype into a limited production run. However, the project was nixed as the costs of developing it couldn’t be justified; it was estimated that the final product would have been twice as costly as the regular GT500, and even more expensive than the 427 Cobra.

Shortly after Goodyear’s test, the Shelby GT500 Super Snake was sold. Over the years, it changed hands a few times, and was even used for drag racing. Eventually, it underwent a “light restoration” in the mid-2000s while being owned by a Mustang collector, and back then, its odometer indicated 26,000 miles (41,843 km).

The classic GT500 Super Snake is making a comeback, though. Last year, Shelby announced a continuation of the iconic muscle car, limited to 10 examples, powered by a 7.0-liter V8 making in excess of 550 horsepower, and priced from almost $250,000 each. Which, in layman’s terms, is a lot for a Mustang, but quite reasonable for a fully-fledged Super Snake.